Auxiliary holding-strip of metal for picture-moldings.



No. 888,972. v PATENTED MAY 26,.1908. .G. F. DREW.

AUXILIARY HOLDING STRIP 0F METAL POR'PIGTURE MOLDINGS;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. DREW, OF BRUNSWICK, MAINE.

AUXILIARY HOLDING-STRIP OF METAL FOR PIGTURE-MOLDINGS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. DREW, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brunswick, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented cert'ain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Holding-Strips of Metal for Picture-Moldings, of which the following is a specification.

In U. S. Patent, No. 628,140, issued to me July 4, 1899, is shown and described an improved picturemolding, the same consisting of a strip of sheet-metal having suitably spaced integral offset portions bent to form hooks for suspending picture-supporting cords therefrom. The said molding or cordholding strip being secured by nails or screws to the front face of a wooden molding or member, in turn fastened to the wall.

The invention forming the subject of my present application for patent is of the same general character as the said patented device. In this later invention, however, the com paratively wide and flat thin sheet-metal stock from which the strips are produced is cut in a novel manner, thereby preventing waste in their manufacture. The present improved molding strip of metal is adapted to be located at the back of and rest upon the ordinary wooden picture-molding, no nails, screws or other independent fastening means being employed for securing the two molding members together.

My improved picture-holding device or auxiliary holding strip as it may be termed consists of a fiat continuous strip of sheetmetal having its upper and lower longitudinal edges provided with integral evenly spaced narrow wings or lateral extensions disposed in one plane; the free ends of the upper wings being bent at substantially right angles to form alining lips adapted to rest upon the wooden molding, and having the corresponding portion of the lower wings bent to form cord-supporting hooks, only the latter portion of the strip being visible when it is mounted and positioned with respect to the wooden molding, as in use.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a short section of my improved picture-holding device. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken 011 line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the relative position of the device with respect to the usual wooden molding and the adjacent side wall of a room. Fig. 3 represents a front Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 6, 1907.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Serial No. 360,980.

view of a piece of the blank strip prior to bending the ends of the wings or extensions thereof, as indicated in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 shows how a comparatively wide strip of sheet metal stock may be cut or divided so as to produce, practically without waste,

a plurality of the blank molding strips indicated in Fig. 3.

In carrying out my invention the wide sheet-metal flat strip B may if desired be cut in a longitudinal direction by suitable means to form a plurality of narrow strips B, as indicated in Fig. 4.

As drawn, each of the blank strips B (Fig. 3) consists of a continuous central base or body portion a, a series of suitably spaced narrow wings or lateral extensions 6 formed along one edge thereof alternating with counterpart openings 0, and having the opposite edge provided say with similarly spaced lateral extensions (1 alternating with openings 6. I prefer to make the ends of the members d and the bottom of the openings 6 well-rounded, as clearly shown. I also prefer to have the wing members I) and (1 located diametrically opposite each other, substantially as represented, although they may have other forms and be differently disposed if desired.

In order to convert the blank B into the completed picture-holding strip A (Fig. 1) the upper or free end portions of the said extensions 1) are bent at substantially right angles to the plane of the base a to form the front short lips or upper hooks b the ends of the lower extensions d also being bent to form front open hooks d having curved hearing surfaces d for the cords to rest upon.

In Fig. 2 is represented the manner of mounting or positioning the improved picture-holding strip A with respect to the usual or common wooden molding and securing the same to the wall w of a room: It will be seen that the thin metal strip A is located between the back of the wooden molding m and the adjacent front surface of the wall, the upper lips 12 of the former then resting upon the flat member m usually present at the upper rear edge of and being integral with the wooden molding; the bottom hooks d of the strip A being at the same time eX- osed and extending below the molding m to freely receive therein the picture-supporting cord r, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Nails n passing through the wooden member m and into the wall serve to secure all in position, the nails at the same time passing freely through the corresponding openings 0,

as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. I

By means of my present improvement any ordinary or commercial wooden picturemolding may be em loyed, since the latter is i in no wise previous y arranged or specially adaptedto be combined or associated with the metal auxiliary holding strip A. I am aware that prior molding devices of this general character, which embody or employ wooden and metal strips, have been proposed, but in such former picture-moldings one or both of the main strip members were specially devised or arranged whereby they were adapted to be secured to each other and then to the wall. In the present invention only the usual or well-known securing means is employed.

It will be noted that the slots 0 extend downward from the top, and terminate short of the bottom, of said strip A. The great advantage of this construction, over one in E which the openings might extend upward l l l from the bottom, and terminate short of the top, of the strip, is that the nails 91 may be driven through the thicker portion of the 1 molding m, and thus lessen very materially l the danger of splitting the molding. If said openings extended from the bottom upward, z instead of from the top downward (as in my construction), then necessarily, owing to the i fact that the upper portion of the strip A would be closed or solid (that is, apertureless), the nails would have to be driven through a frail, thin portion of the molding .c

m, to wit, through the lower, thinner portion thereof; and, in this case, there would be great danger of the molding splitting, thus ruining the same. Therefore I consider that my peculiar construction presents a very L tangible and material advantage over other structures known to me.

I claim as my invention In a picture-hanging device, a strip of material bent at its upper portion to fit on the shoulder of an ordinary wall-molding, and provided with a series of spaced slots extending downward from the top, and terminating short of the bottom, thereof, forming space into which may pass nails driven through the thicker portion of the usual wallmolding, said strip carrying, at its lower por tion, members adapted to project below the molding and engage with a picture-hanging cord, or the like.

Signed at Providence, R. 1., this 22nd d ay of February, 1907.

GEORGE E. DREW.

l/Vitnesses ALFRED CALDWELL, GEO. H. REMINGTON. 

